Benammi is a name found in the King James Bible, appearing 1 time in the text.
Who This Was
Benammi was the son of Lot and his younger daughter, and he became the ancestor of the Ammonites. His birth is recorded in Genesis 19, in the aftermath of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot had been rescued from the doomed cities by angels, and he and his two daughters were living in a cave in the hill country because he was afraid to dwell in Zoar.
It was there, in that cave, that Benammi was conceived. Lot’s older daughter proposed a plan to preserve their family line, since they believed there were no men left in the land to marry them. On the first night, the older daughter lay with her father, and on the second night, the younger daughter did the same. Scripture states that Lot was unaware of what was happening when they lay down or when they arose. The younger daughter became pregnant and bore a son.
Genesis 19:38 records: “And the younger, she also bare a son, and called his name Benammi: the same is the father of the children of Ammon unto this day.” The name Benammi appears only once in the King James Bible, and the verse identifies him directly as the father of the Ammonites, the nation that would later occupy the region east of the Jordan.
The Name
The name Benammi is Hebrew, and its meaning is well established from the components of the name itself. “Ben” means “son,” and “Ammi” means “my people” or “my kinsman.” Taken together, the name means “son of my people” or “son of my kindred.” The name is closely related to the name of the nation that descended from him, the Ammonites, whose name derives from the same root. The naming reflects the desire of his mother to preserve the family line after the destruction of Sodom.
A Closing Thought
Benammi’s story begins in one of Scripture’s darkest scenes—a cave, a drunken father, and a desperate scheme born of fear rather than faith. Yet God’s providence is not undone by human failure. A nation came from this child, and though the Ammonites often opposed Israel, God still worked His purposes through history. This is a quiet reminder that our beginnings do not determine our endings, and that God’s grace reaches even into the most broken chapters of a family’s story. No one is beyond the reach of His unfolding plan.
At a Glance
- Gender: Male
- Testament: Old
- Mentions in the KJV: 1
Where It Appears in Scripture
- Genesis 19:38 — And the younger, she also bare a son, and called his name Benammi: the same is the father of the children of Ammon unto this day.